EnerGIS calling for abstractsGITAThe EnerGIS 2015 organizing committee is continuing to accept abstract submissions for this year's conference, to be held May 18–19 at Range Resources in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania! The deadline for submissions is March 8. Click here for more information.

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NGA banks on the power of transparencyFCWThere is a data explosion happening in government. According to National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Robert Cardillo, geospatial data — and in turn, his agency — are on the cusp of it.
Cardillo, speaking at the ESRI Federal GIS conference in Washington, D.C., called it the democratization of geospatial information, and said there are two factors driving it.

Federal court drops all but 2 claims by LightSquared against GPS companiesInside GNSS A U.S. District Court has dismissed most of two lawsuits brought in 2013 against GNSS manufacturers stemming from the effort by LightSquared Inc. to build a high-powered broadband wireless network using RF spectrum adjacent to the GPS L1 band and allocated for mobile satellite services.

Superior Quality Data and Analytics is Critical for Today's Energy CompaniesCoreLogicAs a GIS professional, you strive to turn complicated tasks into fast, efficient processes throughout your business. You understand that automated data can improve the quality and output of almost every task. However, collecting data from various local government and other resources can be expensive, time-consuming and error-prone. A trusted, single source of robust data and analytics can simplify and improve the quality of many departmental functions such as land-use planning, mineral exploration, tax compliance, transportation, as well as infrastructure development and management. Learn more…

Esri launches open data finderCiv SourceFor developers and interested users of open data, just finding it can often be a problem. Cities, counties and states each have their own portals, and in some cases individual agencies can as well. Elsewhere, companies, anchor institutions and other community organizations may also make data available, but that's not always clear. Now, Esri has launched a new website that will serve as a resource to find datasets.

Dominion teams with Lockheed Martin to develop GPS-enabled smart grid technologySmart Grid NewsLockheed Martin and Dominion Resources, Inc. have announced a co-developed smart grid technology that uses GPS technology. According to Lockheed Martin, the technology "will enable remote detection of power outages for ... mapping and response."
VirtuGrid will be used to send certain data — like voltage, power, energy readings, GPS location, phase and circuit connectivity — from a remote location to the substation.

Alternatives for users of Google Maps EngineGIS User An official announcement came through the Google Group Forum on Jan. 20. From the company, "Effective immediately, we will no longer be allowing new free sign-ups. However, your existing GME project will be available for use through January 29, 2016. The GME API will still be available throughout this time."

Geocoded no fly maps key to safer sUAV flightsDirections Magazine The cry to regulate small unmanned aerial vehicles has gotten much louder after a recreational pilot crashed his quadcopter on the south lawn of the White House on Jan 26. After the incident, President Obama commented in a CNN interview that drones have many positive uses, but that there is currently no regulatory structure in place to control these fights. Unfortunately, this statement is only half true.

Latest Galileo satellites reach launch siteGPS World Another two Galileo satellites have touched down in French Guiana ready to take their place in Europe's satellite navigation constellation. The pair, safely cocooned inside their air-conditioned containers inside an Air France Boeing 747, landed at Cayenne–Félix Eboué Airport. They were then taken by lorry to be installed in the cleanroom surroundings of Europe's Spaceport to begin final preparations for launch.